Groundhog Day (1993) Review

Before I watched Groundhog Day, I had only seen two Bill Murray movies. I watched Zombieland online in Spring 2014, and then again on DVD in Fall 2014. I didn't hate Bill Murray, but he didn't impress me much. I also watched Ghostbusters later in Fall 2014. Bill Murray was fantastic in Ghostbusters. He delivered a great performance and made his character loveable. In Groundhog Day, he delivers an even greater performance. Bill Murray deserved an Oscar Nomination and Golden Globe Nomination, but didn't receive either. I've told you about Bill Murray, but what about the rest of the film? There isn't much else. Bill Murray carries the whole film, and without him, it a complete piece of junk. The story was incredibly original, extremely entertaining, but never truly impressed me. It wasn't funny. It wasn't memorable. I liked the movie, but it wasn't the greatness I expected.
Movie Rating: B 

Unfinished Business Trailer

Vince Vaughn doesn't usually impress me. He did in a few films, though. I loved the way he took charge in the internship and made himself the only memorable character in the film. In the watch, he also stole the show. But, he's made his share of completely forgettable, lame performances as well. Now, he's impressed me with a trailer. He shows us what a great comedian he is. Having Dave Franco and Tom Wilkinson can't hurt either. They all played great together and this could be the comedy of the year.
Predictions:
EW: A-
Imdb: 7.7
RT: 89
Trailer Rating: A-

Penguins of Madagascar (2014) Review

I liked Madagascar, but it wasn't great. Ice Age, Finding Nemo, Kung Fu Panda, and many other animated films were so much better. It was a last-second decision to watch this movie. But no, it was not worth it. It wasn't even as great as Madagascar, which isn't a great film itself. There are too many things wrong with Penguins of Madagascar. John Malkovich and Benedict Cumberbatch can really act, but they played wasted, lame, characters who are completely unforgettable. The only characters we liked were the four penguins. Penguins of Madagascar is also lame and childish. Nowadays, animated movies are funny. There were a few laughs, but it does not do a good enough job with it. understand it's harder with a PG rating, but Despicable Me, both Kung Fu Panda's and frozen pulled it off. It's interesting, but interesting enough to draw me in. I will not be seeing this film again.
Movie Rating: C-

I don't know about you, but I sure didn't like these characters.

Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) Review

After I watched the first Horrible Bosses about half a year ago, I was very surprised in how great it turned out to be. The comedy trio had such great chemistry, the movie was downright hilarious, and the situations they were in were entertaining. I was excited for the sequel because the first one was good, but I was even more excited when I found out Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine were joining the cast. Then I saw the first trailer for it. Then the second. Then the third trailer. They were all bad. And the reviews were even worse. So going into the movie, I was definitely thinking it would be much worse than the first one. The movie didn't start out so great either. I already hated Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz, and Dale, Nick, and Kurt just weren't as great in the movie. Fortunately, that quickly changed. Some entertaining situations in the first movie were the several break-ins. They were funny and interesting. And they were even funnier and more interesting in the sequel. The rest of the movie was great. The elaborate plan was great, and produced even greater comedy. The return of Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey was successful. And the twist, although similar to the prequel, was very shocking and awesome. All the characters worked perfectly, expect maybe Christoph Waltz's (similar to Colin Farrell's in many ways, as Chris Pine's character was to Kevin Spacey's) who I just don't think brought anything to the movie. But, I loved the movie more and more as it went on, and it finished greatly too. Horrible Bosses 2 is my new favorite movie of all time.
Movie Rating: A+

Jurassic World Trailer

I'm going to tell you that I hated the first Jurassic Park. It was so bad I never watched the sequels. It suffered from bad acting, bad casting, too kid-friendly, not enough action, and too boring at points. The new Jurassic world trailer promises the elements that kept the original from being any good. Chris Pratt proved himself in Guardians of the Galaxy, and he will shine as an action star. Also, that kid from Iron Man 3 will probably be good. The dark, scary tone of the trailer will make it more thrilling and create less lame, stupid family moments. And it promises plenty of action and adventure. I'm sure it will have fantastic action sequences, and will be talked about for years.
Predictions:
Imdb: 8.4
RT: 93
EW: A-
Trailer Rating: A

 

In case you missed the teaser, its below

Pan Trailer

The pan trailer was released today, and it did nothing but disappoint. The main character was unlikeable and played by some dumb kid. Also, nothing impressed me, and Hugh Jackman was put to waste. This seems like a career damaging movie that won't display any of the epic fantasy, action, and adventure a peter pan story should have, and instead is a lame family movie.
Predictions:
Imdb: 5.7
RT: 48
EW: C
Trailer Rating: C-

Godzilla (2014) Review

Before the theatrical  release of Godzilla, everyone movie viewer including me was extremely excited and expecting an amazing movie. Many people probably ditched their plans of seeing it in theaters after they saw the review, also what I did. And they were 100% percent right to do that. Godzilla features a decent cast; Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, who have proved themselves to be good in action movies, Ken Watanabe, who is in a lot, and of course the great Bryan Cranston. The first problem with Godzilla is that this good cast is not used to effect. Bryan Cranston is far too minor, and Ken Watanabe and Elizabeth Olsen become useless losers that don't really affect the plot. We aren't treated to any action until at least 45 minutes into the movie, and nothing before that is really too interesting. The Honolulu scene is fun and exciting and whenever Godzilla shows up, it's awesome. But, over the rest of the movie Godzilla doesn't show up much. Instead, we're treated to far too many human drama stories and never enough action. Also, the film never has a fun tone like most modern PG-13 action blockbusters. All the superhero movies are fun, and even films not part of a series, like Hercules, are much better because of all the joy it brings you. This fun and joy is absent in Godzilla. Before I finish this, I'll compare it to last year's pacific rim. They are similar in many ways, they both are about monsters destroying earth and trying to stop them. But, pacific rim is a much better film. The Jaegers created much better action, the cast is used to much greater effect, and it's one of the most fun movies ever made. I can't wait for the Pacific Rim sequel, but I can't say the same for the Godzilla sequel.
Movie Rating: B-

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part One (2014) Review

I didn't except much of the movie before I came in, nor was I very excited to see the movie. It started out with Katniss waking up from her bed, gasping. Huh, haven't we seen this enough? After a while into the movie, the plot actually moves forward and Katniss is elected the Mockingjay. I already don't like Julianne Moore's character, and the quality of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's character has gone down as well. And instead of bringing interesting characters to assist Katniss like in the previous films, we get a bunch of boring losers. And to make matters worse, Gale is back. But at least he's being played by a great actor, Liam Hemsworth, who has won a few Oscars. Oh, wait. He's completely awful. Katniss leads the group and gives some lame-ass speeches that the writers probably thought would be great, but were terrible. Finnick erases everything that made us like him in the previous films. And for the rest of the movie, Peeta becomes a complete psycho freak murderer and Katniss, again, breaks down and starts crying every five minutes. Also, the two characters that helped the story, Haymitch and Effie, are turned completely minor and forgettable. I wasn't a huge fan of the first, but I will admit that it was good compelling and had good action, and the second one improved upon both and made for a great film, but the entire 2 hours is not spent with any enjoyable, or even any action at all. Completely forgettable and certainly bad, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part One is not only a mouthful to say, but it has completely destroyed the tension, anticipation, and  the completeness the first two films brought.
Movie Rating: C

Night at the Museum 3 Trailer

The new night at the museum 3 trailer improved upon the original, but still featured the lame humor that made the franchise fail. I never laughed once during the trailer, and none of the characters were likeable. Unfortunately, Night at the Museum 3 will probably be unsuccessful like its 2 prequels.
Predictions:
EW: C
RT: 54
Imdb: 6.6
Trailer Rating: C-

Ghostbusters (1984) Review

From the start to finish, Ghostbusters was a fun, enjoyable ride. Bill Murray's Peter Venkman was great, with his comedic dialogue, and the other supporting characters fit right along with him. It wasn't action packed or funny enough, but there was a good amount of each. It got a little too weird and off-topic for a little bit, but it's good enough to become a classic, beloved, sci-movie movie.
Movie Rating: B+

The Cobbler Trailer

It started out okay, but  it got great when they introduced the main idea. It looks fun, original, and it looks like an R rating. It also featured a decent cast with Sandler, Buscemi, and Dustin Hoffman. Adam Sandler hasn't made any good movie in a long time, but this looks fantastic.
Predictions:
Imdb: 7.1
RT: 74
EW: B+
Trailer Rating: A-

First Poem Review

I understand this is a movie blog, and poems aren't very exciting, but in English class today I had to read a poem so stupid and awful that I had to call attention to it. Here it is.

Slam, Dunk, & Hook

By Yusef Komunyakaa b. 1947 Yusef Komunyakaa

Fast breaks. Lay ups. With Mercury's

Insignia on our sneakers,

We outmaneuvered to footwork

Of bad angels. Nothing but a hot

Swish of strings like silk

Ten feet out. In the roundhouse

Labyrinth our bodies

Created, we could almost

Last forever, poised in midair

Like storybook sea monsters.

A high note hung there

A long second. Off

The rim. We'd corkscrew

Up & dunk balls that exploded

The skullcap of hope & good

Intention. Lanky, all hands

& feet...sprung rhythm.

We were metaphysical when girls

Cheered on the sidelines.

Tangled up in a falling,

Muscles were a bright motor

Double-flashing to the metal hoop

Nailed to our oak.

When Sonny Boy's mama died

He played nonstop all day, so hard

Our backboard splintered.

Glistening with sweat,

We rolled the ball off

Our fingertips. Trouble

Was there slapping a blackjack

Against an open palm.

Dribble, drive to the inside,

& glide like a sparrow hawk.

Lay ups. Fast breaks.

We had moves we didn't know

We had. Our bodies spun

On swivels of bone & faith,

Through a lyric slipknot

Of joy, & we knew we were

Beautiful & dangerous.

 

Okay, that was terrible. I don't any negative feeling about basketball, but the entire poem was a huge mess. It drags on for way too long, and there is no structure. It's basically a way of saying: We're winning the game, we're still winning the game, we're still winning the game, we won the game. Instead, the author uses words no one understands and the way he uses them doesn't clarify the words, it makes the poem more confusing. It also isn't a story and make no sense, and there is no theme or anything a poem should have. Couldn't he have just watched a movie instead of writing the poem?

I don't give poem ratings, because nothing would get an A, but i'll make an exception for this piece of sh*t. Poem Rating: F---

Insurgent Teaser

Does tris have short hair in the insurgent book or does she in the movie because Shailene Woodley cut her hair for the fault in our stars? Either way, its retarded. No one like Tris in the first film, and now everyone will hate her. Also, is the trailer telling us the entire plot is Tris saving her mom, who already died in the first films so it makes no sense at all, out of a burning building. I certainly hope not, because that sounds like a boring-as-sh** movie. And are there 2 people in the film? I really expected Four to return, even though he was acted terribly. I also expected Miles Teller to return, who was the only one who did the right thing and call Divergent what it is: an awful movie. The chances of Insurgent being any good are pretty much -400%, and will anyone enjoy this movie?
Predictions:
EW: B-
RT: 26
Imdb: 6.4
Trailer Rating: F

Apocalypto (2006) Review

Apocalypto is a 2 hour 20 minute long movie that features completely unknown actors who don't speak a word of English and to top it off, it's directed by Mel Gibson. That's one way to look at it. But, that's pretty much the only bad way you can view it. In reality, Apocalypto is a surprisingly great film that is realistic, features plenty of action and adventure, and is very, very, very interesting. For the entire runtime, I could not keep my eyes off the screen because the movie drew me in, and kept me awake. At the beginning, we are introduced to the characters, and some inappropriate comedy. Soon enough, it turns into a complete nightmare for the heroes, which is what keeps us interested. It is a sad, evil, dark experience, but we get hope as one man, gets out of it. His escape is about 40 minutes, and is possibly the greatest action sequence ever made. It is so incredibly exciting, and every moment and decision Jaguar Paw makes could result in death. It is great, seeing the imaginative ways he picks his opponents, and it creates very satisfiying villain deaths.  We're rooting for Jaguar Paw the whole way, who is a true badas* action hero, and a great movie character. Now, that's the way you should look at Apocalypto.
Movie Rating: A

Jaguar Paw

Gangs of New York (2002) Review

After watching Gangs of New York, I was surprised how good it turned out to be. I liked the beginning with Liam Neeson. Unfortunately, the rest of the first half went downhill from that. The next hour of the movie was completely uninteresting and terrible, and I waited until the next day to finish it. The second half was an very interesting, revenge-driven, even exciting finish to the movie. The butcher got scarier and scarier, and I was pleased when Amsterdam had his revenge. The acting was great, and it was a good movie. But, the boring and awful first half of the movie prevents it from becoming great. 167 minute runtime is too long.

Movie Rating: B

Tropic Thunder (2008) Review

Perhaps the greatest thing about this movie is the brilliant cast. There are greater casts, such as The Dark Knight Trilogy, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The X-Men Franchise, and other superhero or some comedies too. My point is, very few movie have the great cast with 5+ recognizable members. Tropic Thunder includes Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, and they even threw some better actors in there: Matthew McConaughey and Tom Cruise. There are also, a few other recognizable people, Brandon T. Jackson, Nick Nolte, and Jack Black (but do we really need him?) So, this movie is already great because of the ensemble cast, but not that's not all. The entire 107 minute runtime (which is perfect for the movie) is filled with laughs, the music accompanied the film perfectly, great performances (especially RDJ and Tom Cruise), and better dialogue. Tropic Thunder is a movie Ben Stiller can be proud that he directed.
Movie Rating: A-

My favorite part of the movie, RDJ deserved that Oscar nom.

 

Also, with the exception of 22 Jump Street, this is the greatest end credits scene ever.

Selma Trailer

Sure, its a biography and a few will look forward to it, but the question most of us will be asking ourselves is are these actors qualified to play such a great role? Will this movie actually be good? Unfortunately, the answer is probably not. I saw 2 good actors, but no great actors, and you need great actors to pull a biography movie off successfully.
Predictions:
EW: C
RT: 55
Imdb: 6.4

Trailer Rating: B-

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) Review

I watched Beverly Hills Cop for the 3rd time today, and it was just as great as always. The whole movie had a happy tone to it. It was funny, ridiculously and completely enjoyable. Eddie Murphy delivered his best performance ever as Axel Foley, who is one of the best movie characters ever created. Billy Rosewood also shines as a cool, supporting character of a 80's comedy. Beverly Hills Cop is pure enjoyment and laughs, and movies don't get much better than that.
Movie Rating: A+

The Gambler Trailer

While the gambler does feature an always-great Mark Wahlberg, and had other notable cast members like John Goodman, it didn't really get my interest. It was never thrilling enough or exciting at all, and I will probably not watch it. The trailer wasn't downright awful, but it was completely unforgettable.
Predictions:
EW: B-
RT: 59
Imdb: 7.3
Trailer Rating: C+

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies Trailer

The Teaser was such a disappointment, but some of that came from the fact that it didn't show anything. This one showed a huge war, and went more into detail. But it just showed the huge war. I love my Middle-Earth battles, but is that really going to be the whole film? Where's the adventure from the previous films? Also, there was no comedy at all. In the first and second trailer, there was plenty of comedy and it was also present in the movie. But, this was dark, and too dark for a hobbit movie. I've been looking forward to this trailer for a while, but it didn't not satisfy.
Predictions: Despite the bad trailers, I still think this will be a great film. At first I gave this a B, but after viewing this many more times, I realize it is more epic and great than I original thought.
EW: A
RT: 87
Imdb: 8.5
Trailer Rating: B+

Chappie Trailer

Before the trailer, I was excited to see Chappie, because if I recall correctly, it was decribed as an action-thriller. It starred Hugh Jackman, who is always great, and Dev Patel, who isn't in enough films, but has the potential to b great. Then, I watch the trailer and find out its about a stupid robot, and is this a remake of Walle and Earth to Echo combined. I am adding a new element to my trailer reviews, I will put predictions of what ratings the movie will get based on that trailer for EW, imdb, and RT.
Predictions (Based on what I've seen so far):
EW: C
RT: 51
IMDB: 6.5

Trailer Rating: C-

Macfarland, USA Trailer

I had never heard of this movie, but I decided to watch it. At first, I was doubtful of it: for two reasons. Kevin Costner just did a sports movie called Draft Day, and that didn't work out, and Disney sports movies don't work out. Reluctantly, I continued watching the trailer. The Diaz joke was funny, and once I learned the movie was about cross country, I was in. As far as I know, Disney hasn't made any movies about running yet, and it would add originality to their sports movie formula. Also, I'm a huge fan of the sport. The rest of the trailer looked interesting, Kevin Costner was good, and it had a good ending joke. This movie, for me, just went from unheard of to great. I may be in the theaters the weekend of February 20th.
Trailer Rating: A-

In the Line of Fire (1993) Review

I didn't except much from In the Line of Fire, because it came from the Wolfgang Peterson, who make movies that look promising, but end up disappointing. Troy looked Epic, then failed. Air Force One could have been better. The perfect storm was pretty awful. But this one, was good, and not disappointing at all. Clint Eastwood proved himself as an action hero, and John Malkovich was even better as a creepy villain. The whole movie was entertaining, and it worked as mystery-thriller. It was good while it lasted, but not great enough to leave a great impression on me, or to want to watch again immediately in the future. It lost some of its greatness to an unnecessary romantic subplot, and also an unnecessary R rating. Clint Eastwood was cool, but not excellent like he is in Westerns. I enjoyed the movie, but am not eager to watch it again.
Movie Rating: B

Minions Trailer

The new minions trailer, while showing no humans or voices, was great. It looks like we are going to see the past, and the movie will probable be very funny. Also, I sense a great animated journey in the movie. After the fail of Despicable Me 2, I think Minions will bring back the greatness of the original.
Trailer Rating: B+

The Watch (2012) Review

I had already seen this movie before, and excepted it to be much worse the second time. I was wrong. The entire experience was enjoyable. But, it could have been better. The characters were likeable, but not legendary. The comedy was amusing, but not hilarious. The dialogue was okay, but not quotable. The watch was a good movie, but not great, when it could have been. The music was timed perfectly though, and it always fit in with what was happening in the movie. Unfortunately, the watch suffers from too much inappropriate and gory humor, and the feeling that everything could be better than it is, but it is not even close to a horrible movie.
Movie Rating: B-

The Internship (2013) Movie Review

I had watched this movie before, and while I didn't hate it, I wasn't too impressed. Today, I watched the unrated version, which did not improve upon the theatrical at all. A few reasons the movie wasn't so good: Owen Wilson is a completely unlikeable loser, and really has no place in the film, unlike every other movie he is in. The secondary characters aren't very interesting. For a comedy, it's not very funny, but I can understand because it's directed by Sean Levy. None of the scenes are extremely enjoyable, and it has too many messages about teamwork and other lame crap. The ending was incredibly cheesy and hard to forget. I know this isn't a very good write-up, but the movie wasn't very good either.
Movie Rating: C

Furious 7 Trailer

The fast and furious franchise's trailer for the 7th and newest installment is here, and I am not impressed with it at all. Paul Walker was the best thing in the previous installments, and I can't tell if that's real or fake Paul Walker in the trailer. Jason Statham will be an amazing villain, and that will help the film, but its better to have great heroes than villains, and if he was the hero he could make the next few installments greater. That's just the problems with the cast, so lets start discussing the trailer. The first half was pretty awful. It was a trailer for an action movie scene that the director and stars probably think are great, but now its just borrowing unoriginal action from previous installments, but its worse this time because it may or may not star fake Paul walker. The second half was a real trailer, but it started off with a scene from the 6th, and nothing was funny, cool, or exciting. With fast and furious 6, I was hoping for a great 7th installment, but I have no faith for the movie to succeed anymore.
Trailer Rating: C